(Bloomberg) — A series of rail accidents involving oil tank cars that exceed federal safety standards yet still burst into flames after derailing is shifting the focus from the container to the crude — and whether it's too explosive to be carried by train.

A wreck over the weekend in Canada brought the total to four in less than a month in the U.S. and Canada. All involved relatively modern tank cars known as the CPC-1232, which are designed to be sturdier than a model that regulators have said are prone to rupture.

Safety advocates say the spills show that a proposed rule now under review at the White House to require even tougher tank cars is necessary, but that it may not go far enough.

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